Projects and books by contemporary American writer of A Religion of One's Own, Gospel: The Book of Matthew, Care of the Soul.

Thursday, November 03, 2016

A guide to cultivate a more expansive world view

Earlier this year Thomas Moore wrote "A Crack in the Sky" for his column in Spirituality & Health magazine. He includes:

"We often mistakenly think that our task is to find out what is on the
other side of the crack or door. Religions often claim that they know
what that is and persuade millions of people to live by their hunch. I
think our task is, rather, simply to get close to the crack and be aware
of a doorway out of our limited view of things. Just knowing about the
door changes us and affects how we live. Paradoxically, arriving at that
high point of breakthrough, without knowing what’s on the other side,
if anything, contributes greatly to our humanity and to the meaning of
our lives. Our sheer proximity to the opening allows us to breathe."

This is the same approach Moore takes in his new in book, The Soul of Christmas, that he hopes will appeal to Christians and non-Christians: "the universality in Jesus's message, its intelligence, and its relevance to life today."

Why Barque: Thomas Moore?

"What I'm trying to do is say lighten up and let life flow through you, and be on the waves as they go up and down. For me, a great image in mythology is
Tristan of Tristan and Isolde. He's out there on a little boat without an oar, without a rudder, on the Irish sea . . . You float your way. You drift. The essence
of my approach is to be extravagantly accepting and forgiving of yourself and others. Ride the waves and let life take you where it has good things for you." - Thomas Moore